A FEMALE community post office worker was bound and hooded by two robbers who stole £1,000 from the Shackleford store.

The woman was left traumatised by the attack – the second in four years for her at the village post office – prompting fears that the community run store may have to close.

She had been at the front of the store – in The Street, Shackleford – on Monday between 4.50pm and 5.05pm when the two male robbers barged through the door and grabbed her from behind.

They dragged her to the back of the shop, ripped the keys for the post office from her belt and bound her wrists and ankles with rope and bin liners.

Her head was covered with a pair of trousers from the shop’s dry-cleaning section.

Passersby were alerted by the woman’s screams, and untied her before calling the emergency services.

The 55-year-old woman was left traumatised and with bruising to her arms and legs. The victim told officers that both men wore balaclavas.

One was stocky and wearing a black puffer jacket; the other was of medium build and wearing light clothing. She also described both men as having southern accents.

The post office has remained closed since the incident took place and a community meeting is expected to take place tonight (Friday) to decide its fate.

Jackie Sowerbutts, one of the directors of the group running the store, said: “We will be looking at all sorts of measures and what we can do practically, but it can’t be the decision of one person.

“We must look at the possibility that the shop might have to close. The shopkeeper is very upset. She could hardly speak she was so shocked and traumatised. She thinks it’s an attack on her as well as the community,” she added.

Mrs Sowerbutts said the shopkeeper was attacked in 2001 on the same premises when two men hit her on the head and, again, left with a significant amount of money.

“After it happened the first time, she bolted the door and people had to ring the bell before being let in.,” she said. “But, unless you know everyone, when is it safe to open the door?

“The shop is too small and doesn’t make enough money for one person, let alone two. But, for anyone who is working there, safety is the primary concern,” she added.

Various safety measures, including installing a panic button and booby-trapping the cash with a device that sprays blue dye, will be discussed in the forthcoming community meeting.

Investigating officer DC Mike Taylor said: “I am appealing for anyone who remembers seeing two suspicious looking men around the area at the time of the incident to please get in contact with me.

“Robbery is a crime we treat very seriously, and we are making every possible line of inquiry to find out who they [the criminals] are.

“If you have any information that may help our investigation of this crime, please get in touch.” DC Mike Taylor can be contacted on 0845 125 2222.

Or calls can be made anonymously and free of charge to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.